Top-Grossing Concerts Mid-Year

The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival was North America's highest-grossing concert of the mid-year, according to figures released by the concert industry publication, Pollstar.

The event staged April 15-17 at the Empire Polo Club in Indio was one of three concerts presented by the Los Angeles- based Goldenvoice company and its parent, AEG Live, to place in Pollstar's 25 top grossing concerts for the period and geographic region.

Stagecoach: California's Country Music Festival and The Big 4 concert, featuring Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer and Anthrax, combined with Coachella to generate almost $40 million in admission fees.

Coachella earned $24,993,698 with its sold-out daily paid attendance of 75,000 people. That eclipsed U2's runner-up numbers for three mid-May shows with Snow Patrol at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, which earned $22,866,542.

U2's Mexico City shows ranked as the best attended concert run with 282,978 people. Coachella outgrossed U2 because its tickets were $269 to $699 while U2 charged 750 to 2,600 pesos per ticket.

Stagecoach, held April 30-May 1 at the Empire Polo Club, was the fourth-highest grossing concert. It generated $9,195,415 from 54,791 tickets sold at $99 to $799 each. The festival was described as being 99 percent sold-out.

The Big 4 ranked 23rd in Pollstar's top-100 list. That one-day show made $4,793,768 from 44,205 tickets sold for $99 to $199. It was described as 88 percent sold-out.

None of the Empire Polo Club shows ranked among the five best attended concerts in North America. After U2's Mexico City appearance, those were: